While trawling or reeling in a line it is common for fisherman to place the butt end base of a fishing rod against a portion of their body such as their abdomen and waist area in order to obtain extra leverage while fishing. Usually the most important moment in fishing is the time immediately after a fish bites into the bait on the hook. At this crucial moment, the fisherman must pull back on the rod by placing one hand in between the reel and the butt end of the rod and the other hand above the reel while the butt end of the rod is placed on the thigh, abdomen, their upper arm or their side or even under their arm. While placing the butt end of the rod against a body part is popular and convenient, the constant pressing can cause considerable discomfort and even injury over a long period of time. Additionally, the fisherman usually has to use both hands, one hand to hold the rod from turning and moving and the second hand to start reeling in the line.
Over the years different types of devices have been proposed for supporting fishing devices. For example, floor mounted holders have been proposed. See for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,964,706 to Adams and U.S. Pat. No. 4,887,375 to Shedd et al. However, these devices require a support surface such as a boat deck and are limited to being fixably mounted to one location, and are not practical for most fisherman that move from location to location to fish.
Over the years various types of support devices have been proposed that use waist attached belts. See for example, U.S. Pat. No. 1,451,732 to Hipwood; U.S. Pat. No. 4,817,323 to Braid; U.S. Pat. No. 4,828,152 to Pepping; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,858,364 to Butts. However, these devices are restricted to supporting the butt end of the rod at one location at a person""s abdomen. Thus, the locations of the rods are not readily moveable, and the belts can be heavy and cumbersome to be worn.
Other types of holder devices have been proposed that use a bendable abdomen support. See for example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,539,080 to Hoover; U.S. Pat. No. 3,287,844 to Hoxter; U.S. Pat. No. 4,498,257 to Jekel; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,564,217 to Riedell. However, all of these devices have flat body engaging rod portions which are generally locked perpendicular to the rods, where the body engaging rod portions direct the weight of the rod to be aimed at a small area of the body to support the rod. Thus, the all of the weight of the rod would be supported by body area which is in contact with the body engaging portion of the holder causing discomfort, pain and even injury to the user. Additionally, none of these devices allows for all sides the body engaging rod portions to be cushioned. Thus, the hard surface areas of the lower body engaging rod portions can knock against the user causing further discomfort, pain and even injury to the user. Also the flat body engaging portions of these holders do not allow the holders to be used under one""s arm or against curved surfaces such as along a fisherman""s sides. Furthermore, all of these devices require plural pieces that require some adjustment to be used. Additionally, the pivotal hinges on Hoover ""080 and Hoxter ""844 can potentially break over time. Furthermore, the holder devices of Hoxter ""844 and Riedell ""217 require cords 32 to be used and with the perpendicular base portions where the cords can interfere with getting in the way of a fisherman trying set their hook since the hook can get caught on the cord. Also the location of the cords adjacent to a fisherman""s hands can be a safety hazard since the cords can interfere with the fisherman""s hands especially while dealing with large fish of up to a thousand pounds, where the cord can cut and even sever one""s finger. Furthermore, Riedell ""217 requires hookably attaching their cords directly to the rods which requires extra time to install and can even damage the rod by scratching and damaging the rod.
Thus, there exists the need to overcome the problems with the prior art devices.
The primary objective of the invention is to provide a fishing rod support device of one size that is able to be adapted to be used to support a wide variety of fishing rod butts without having to adjust, remove or add on additional hardware.
The secondary objective of the invention is to provide a fishing rod support device that is safe and effective to give leverage, stability and mobility while fishing.
The third objective of the invention is to provide a fishing rod support device having a curved contoured surface that allows the device to be supported on various body surfaces such as but not limited to the thigh, the groin area, the sides, under one arms, and on the abdomen.
The fourth objective of the invention is to provide a fishing rod support device that distributes the weight of the rod over a larger surface area then the size of the butt end itself.
The fifth objective of the invention is to provide a fishing rod support device having a padded and contoured shaped surface that allows the device to be comfortably placed at different points 360 degrees about a user""s body.
The sixth objective of the invention is to provide a fishing rod support device that allows the rod to be laid on top of one thigh while allowing the butt end to the rod to be positioned against the other thigh so that the body is used as both an anchor and stabilizer for the rod.
The seventh objective of the invention is to provide a fishing rod support device which allows the butt end of the rod to be pivotally supported in an armpit with the rod held low towards the water which allows greater leverage to lift a fish upward especially when the fish can become wedged in rocks.
The eight objective of the invention is to provide a fishing rod support device that can be easily and quickly switched from one rod to another with a one hand twist and lock motion.
The ninth objective of the invention is to provide a fishing rod support device that does not have external components such as cords and lines that can get entangled in ones hands, clothing, and jewelry such as one""s watch.
The tenth objective of the invention is to provide a fishing rod support device that will not rust or decay while exposed to water and salt air.
The eleventh objective of the invention is to provide a fishing rod support device which is inexpensive to manufacture.
The twelfth objective of the invention is to provide a fishing rod support device which can be used as a stable, non-skid platform when the rod is inverted to change bait, unhook fish, and store the rod and even display new rods in stores.
A fishing rod support device embodiment includes an upper vertical member having an upper side with a cavity surface for tightly securing a butt end of a fishing rod therein, and a lower side, and a contiguous base member having an upper side portion fixably attached to the lower side of the upper vertical member, and a lower inwardly bent side with an inwardly bent surface of approximately a 20 degree concave bend, for engaging both a body portion of a fisherman when to be used during fishing, and for being used as a support stand for holding the fishing rod in a vertical storage position when the rod is not being used for fishing. The cavity surface can further include a bushing and/or grease for tightly receiving the butt end of the fishing rod. A cushion sleeve is further used for covering substantially all of the contiguous base member, wherein both an upper side, a lower side, a front surface and a rear surface of the contiguous lower member is substantially enclosed in the cushion sleeve adding comfort and reducing injury to the fisherman. The edges on the contiguous base member and/or cushioning allows the device to be used as a support stand, wherein the edges of the contiguous base member can rest on a floor surface.
Another embodiment of the invention can have an upper member with a funnel shaped opening for receiving the butt end of the fishing rods. A still another embodiment has the upper member being substantially parallel to the base members. A storage rack allows for the devices to be able to be stored when not being used.
Further objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of a presently preferred embodiment which is illustrated schematically in the accompanying drawings.